Davidson



(No Model.)

'0. E. DAVIDSON. CORN SHELLER.

II Y/ III III:

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

@i; 6 g 325 ablio'o'nci o Patented Mar. 24, 1891. 2%

I woeyvcoz (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

- 0. E. DAVIDSON.

CORN SHELLER.

No. 448,941. Patented Mar. '24, 1891.

ma 511W! r UNITED STATES OTIS E. DAVIDSON, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE,ASSIGNOR TO MATTIE VERMONT DAVIDSON, OF SAME PLACE.

CORN-SHELLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,941, dated March24, 1891.

Application filed June 24, 1890. Serial No. 856,569. (No model.) v

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OTIS E. DAVIDSON, of Nashville, in the county ofDavidson and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Corn-Shellers; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andto the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention has for its obj ect't-o improve the construction andoperation of corn-shellers; and it consists in certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts, which will be first described,and then pointed out particularly in the clauses of the claim at the endof this specification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a frontelevation of my improved corn-sheller with one pair of shelling-jawspartially in section. Fig. 2 1s a sido elevation of the same. view takenon the line a". 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an elevation of one of theshelling-jaws. Fig. 5 isa rear elevation of the machine, and Fig. 0 is asectional view taken on the line y y, Fig. 1.-

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the sameparts.

The letter A represents the main frame, or what I prefer to term thebase-plate, of the machine, the same having openings 13 B through whichto pass the bolts wh ch are to secure it to the box or other supportupon which it is designed to mount the machine.

0 C are pinions mounted upon the baseplate A and in mesh with eachother, one of them being driven by a bevel-gear below the base-plate andin gear with a pinion F, mounted so as to turn freely upon'an axial boltF, screwed into a flange A, )rojecting from the base-plate A. The pinionF is provided with a crank or handle F for turningit.

The construction of the pinions C will be better understood by referenceto Figs. 2 and Each of them has an open center and an annular flange E,which projects part way through an opening A. in the base-plate A, whereit is bolted or otherwise secured to a flange or flanges D on a ring Dor the gear Fig. 3 is a sectional C projecting int-o said opening inplate A from the opposite side, the connection between the pinion C andring D or gear (I being such as to enable said parts to freely rotatetogether in the opening of the base-plate whenever the driving-pinion Fis turned. The front or outer port-ion of each of the pinions 0 isprovided with lugs G, and to each of these lugs is hinged, by means of apin I, the shank H of one of the shelling-jaws K. The jaws K K of eachpinion are adapted to operate upon a single ear of corn, and as thereare two pinions and consequently two pairs of jaws, two earsof corn canbe simultaneously shelled by the operation of the single driving-gear F.

As will be seen by reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 4, and particularly toFig. 4, each of the jaws is provided with one or more, preferably two,projecting shelling-ribs L, a flange K extending outwardly beyond saidribs L, and with the internal spirally-arranged feeding-ribs M, and whenthe two jaws are brought into juxtaposition, as shown in Fig. 1, and anear of corn is inserted between the jaws,while at the same time rotarymot-ion is given to the pinions, the ribs L will operate to strip off orshell the corn'from the cob, and the flange K will prevent the flyingoff of the shelled corn laterally, while the ribs M will operate to drawinward and gradually feed along the cob while the shelling operation isin progress.

In order that the jaws mayaccommodate themselves to various sizes ofears and that they may grasp'the ears with the requisite degree ofpressure, I cause each of them to be acted upon by a spring 0, coiledabout the pin I, and having its inner end abutted against the bracket Ion the flange K and its outer or free end abutted against a stud orprojection P on the lugs G, as shown in Figs. 1 and 6.

In order that the ear being acted upon by each pair of shelling-jaws maybe properly guided and steadied, I provide at the back of the base-plateA and behind each pair of said jaws a pair of co-operatingspring-pressed roller-jaws, as shown in Fig. 5. Each of said roller-jawsconsists of a corrugated or flanged roller Q, mounted so as to turnfreely in a supporting-arm R, and its ribs or corrugations are made ofsmallest diameter at the middle so that they will operate to center andhold centered the cob and also prevent it from rotating while passingthrough the shelli n gj aws.

On the inner end of the supporting-arm R is form ed a bearing B, throughwhich a pivotbolt passes, said pivot-bolt being secured in thebase-plate in any preferred manner.

The roller-jaws are kept closed with yielding pressure by means ofsprings S, each of which is adapted to operate upon one roller of eachpair by engaging with the supporting-arms which support said roller, asshown in Figs. 5 and 6, its opposite end being held by a pin orprojection on the base-plate.

From the foregoing description it is thought the operation of themachine will be readily understood. The operator with one hand turns thecrank or handle F thereby causing pinions G and the shelling-jawsconnected to each to be put into rotation. Then with his other hand heintroduces under moderate pressure ears of corn into the two pairs ofjaws K, which jaws act, as before described, to strip otf the corn bymeans of ribs L, and to automatically advance the cobs by the action ofthe spiral feeding-ribs M and force the forward end of the cobs betweenthe roller-jaws Q, which then operate to steady the cobs and keep themproperly centered without rotating. Each cob remains clasped by theroller-jaws Q until it is dislodged by the advance of the nextsucceeding cob. It will be observed that the lower feedingrib is not sowide as the upper one, so as to leave a larger opening between the lowerribs, the idea being to enable the cob to be more easily started inbetween the jaws, as the operator only has to overcome the resistance oftwo ribs until the roller-jaws eomein contact with the cob, when all theribs be come efiective and feed the cob through rapidly, t-he ribsmeanwhile stripping oil every grain of corn as they rotate around thecob.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with the base-plate A,

of the two gears C, meshed together, as described, and each bearing apair of co-operating shelling-jaws, and the pinion F for impartingrotation to said gears O, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the base-plate A, the gears O O, meshed together,as described, and each having a flange projecting part way through thebase-plate A, with the ring I), having the flange secured to the flangeof one of the gears O, and the driving-gear]? and its crank or handle,substantially as described.

The combination of the base-plate A, the gears C O, meshed together, asdescribed, and each having a flange projecting part way through thebase-plate A, with the ring D, having the flange secured to the flangeof one of the gears (J, the bevel-gear, with the flange secured to theother wheel 0, and the drivinggear F and its crank or handle,substantially as described.

4. In a corn-sheller, the combination, with the rotating gears (J, ofthe co-operatin g hinged shelling-jaws mounted thereupon, each havingthe feeding-ribs M, the curbed flange K, formed integral therewith toprevent the corn from flying out laterally, and the strippingribs L,formed on the inner surface of the flange K, substantially as described.

5. The combination,with the meshed gears C, each having a pair of hingedshelling-jaws mounted upon and rotating with it,and each jaw beingprovided with stripping-ribs L, of the spiral feeding-ribs M,substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the two meshed gears (l, each having a pair ofhinged shelling-jaws mounted upon and rotating with it, and each jawbeing provided with strippingribs L, of two spiral feedingribs M, thelower rib being narrower than the upper one, substantially as described.

OTIS E. DAVIDSON.

Witnesses:

HENRY CATO, T. J. TODD.

